Trailers and CDL
- Thread starter RPM
- Start date
He probably carries a gun and will use it, too if needed.
T-Odd
Member
I have an opinion and a gun, but no badge (queues "we don't need no stinking badges!"), but I'm far from an expert.
When attempting to make sure you're 100% Legal, you certainly need to locate the most knowledgeable person on the subject, and that was my point.
If he was pulled over, the officer/trooper pulling him over should be considered the expert, unless you have a belief that attempting to pass your information from (cite reference here) led you to believe the law was otherwise... if you feel the information could be beneficial - sometimes challenging the "expertise" of Johnny Law will get you in MORE trouble.
When attempting to make sure you're 100% Legal, you certainly need to locate the most knowledgeable person on the subject, and that was my point.
If he was pulled over, the officer/trooper pulling him over should be considered the expert, unless you have a belief that attempting to pass your information from (cite reference here) led you to believe the law was otherwise... if you feel the information could be beneficial - sometimes challenging the "expertise" of Johnny Law will get you in MORE trouble.
There should be a tag on the trailer, around the tounge, that gives the TRAILER WEIGHT and the GROSS TRAILER WIEGHT, which means fully loaded. Axle ratings mean nothing when licencing. You can put a 5200# axle under a 4x8 trailer, knowing you can never haul that much weight with it, unless you built it specifically [heavy,heavy frame] for something.
Truck should also have a tag inside driver's door that gives all axle ratings as well as GROSSE VEHICLE RATING of the TRUCK. Grosse weight is the COMBINED WEIGHT OF THE TRUCK AND TRAILER ===COMBINED====
North Carolina Laws are as you stated for Tennesse, and a Class A CDL is REQUIRED as well as WEIGHT RATED TAG for your truck and TRAILER =WHEN THE COMBINED WEIGHT IS OVER 26001# . If you are under 26001#, only a weight rated tag is needed, specific to the TOTAL amount you wish to carry. Tags usually come 5000#, 10000#, 15000# increments, dollar amount according to each tag rating as well as the FEES for the hiway use taxes, fuel taxes, and others that may be added in Tennesee. NOT FOR HIRE does not mean a thing when it comes to GVWR and a CDL, only Insurance and a business licence if you haul anything for a profit. Homemade trailers have no such ratings and are usually weighed by the officer at the scale house or by portable scales,truck and trailer to determine GVW. So you have a 1/2 ton pickup with a homemade trailer loaded with a small farm tractor with a scraper blade on the back. Pickup is now illigal since you have gone over the GVW rating of the truck while towing the trailer and tractor. You can purchase a weighted tag of 5000#, which is ADDED TO the GVWR of the truck making it a higher rating for the additional price of the tag , usually about $150.00 per year for the tag. You may still be over weight, depending on the weight of the tractor. Always better to buy a tag for more weight than you will normally carry. My brother's last ticket was for this very scenario. Portable scales on the side of the hiway. Ticket was $150.00, and then went and bought the weighted tag .at $100.00 to be able to move tractor from home to cabin, 200 miles away.
Hope this helps.
Mike
Well-Known Member
That is the root of the evil, because there is no federal law. Which is actually as it should be, but when every state wants to enforce their own laws, it makes it impossible for someone like Ron, who is just trying to move from show to show.
The concept of weight-rated tags was raised and that makes excellent sense. But if one state recognizes weight-rated tags and the state next door does not, where does that leave you?
Bingo, that renders it all down to the way it really works.
Which leaves you wondering what the real agenda is, doesn't it? The position we always had was the loaded rig was properly registered in the state of Indiana. The loaded rig was well within weight limits. The loaded rig contained a car that was extremely lucky to pay its own way. We weren't hauling fruits and vegetables, we weren't violating speed limits, we were just trying to get to the next race. We had jobs to earn our livings, the race car was just a (very expensive) hobby.
I don't want to risk anyone getting pissy because we are talking about <whisper mode> government </whisper mode> intervention, particularly because this is a simple case of individual states not reciprocating with other states. Then again, how could it all be resolved to everyone's pleasure? Take the absolute strictest laws from each state and make them the new code? That's going to have people up in arms. Take the absolute easiest laws from each state and make them the new code? I could easily see California and Tennessee seceding from the Union on that one. So what you're left with is a state trooper or D.O.T. official in Pig's Hiccup, TN understanding what the laws are in Resume Speed, Montana, and that's not going to happen. A Philadelphia lawyer wouldn't be able to keep up with all that, so how could expect a police officer to do it?
I can't blame D.O.T. for not wanting every pickup pulling a utility trailer pulling into weigh stations to choke up the process, so what is the answer? And nowhere is there a clear-cut definition of who is and is not required to stop. After we got nailed for not stopping in Tennessee and not having their travel permit, we made sure we stopped to purchase them, the next time through. We dutifully pulled into every Tennessee weigh station, being sure to tug at our forelocks. And do you want to know how many times we were asked to produce our travel permit? Not even once. From that day forward, we bypassed spending the money for the permit and would just pull in to weigh. And life was good, until we met Tennessee's answer to Adolf Hitler, who insisted we were 4,000 pounds over limit (but refused to show us the log and refused to allow us to weigh a second time, whilst one of us remained inside) and threatened to impound everything.
And I don't mean to pick on Tennessee, but that rig had traveled from here to Montreal, Quebec, to Gainesville, FL, to Rockingham, NC, from Brainerd, MN to Houston, TX, out to Pomona, CA and to every state in between, with the only problems being whilst in Tennessee.
I hope I have solved this. Seems there are 2 magic numbers that will make you go across the scale. 26,000 lbs combined gross weight or the 10,001 lbs of the trailer weight. So the GVWR on the truck is 13,000, so we ordered a trailer with a GVWR of 9950 lbs. So now the the combined weight is only 22,950 so no need to have to go across any scales. So then we ordered the trailer with two 7000 axles and 10 ply radial tires, to make sure we have plenty of weight carrying capacity. Also talked to a couple of highway patrol guys and they said the look real hard at triple axle trailers as they know they can easily get over the 10,000 lbs. So I just got a tandem axle.
fordsbyjay
Active Member
With all this talk I was curious as to what my rig weighed in at. The truck is 9900 and my triple axle trailer is 15000 so I squeak in at 24,900#.
With all this talk I was curious as to what my rig weighed in at. The truck is 9900 and my triple axle trailer is 15000 so I squeak in at 24,900#.
Is that the actual weight or what the stickers say on the vehicles? It goes by the ratings not the actual weight.
fordsbyjay
Active Member
Sorry Ron, wrong terminology on my part. 23,900 GVW.
They go by the GVWR
vand
Banned
To put a little different spin on things, these laws arn't confusing enough the people enforcing them without proper knowledge can be the problem. Case in point, I have a truck (Ford F250) with a farm exemption sticker in lue of license plates. I was stopped by a local yocal in another county which no longer has agriculture. I explained I had a farm exemption sticter which I pointed to. He that the exemption was only for use on my farm. Pa state law states farm exemption is for use WITHIN 25 miles of my farm for farm related use. Farm exempt vehicles require no state inspection and can only be opperated on state roads between sun rise and sun set. This was at 1:15 PM. This idiot stated I was beyond my allowed distance from home. This after he took an hour to look the statute up on the computer in his cruiser. I recieved a ticket for no registration and no state inspection. I did a 25 mile radius search and determined I was well within a 25 mile radius from my farm. Pled not guilty and went to court township justice and cop stated distance determined by road miles not a radius. When I showed my evadence of a radius this moron stated that goes into lake erie, you can't drive in the lake. Guilty as charged. I filed an appeal in county court. This judge aggreed with the first and would not let me present the case we had prepaired. Guilty as charged. ($654.00). Obviously the cop was an idiot and the court system is more interested in money than the letter or spirit of the law. Next step is to flfe an appeal with the Pa state court which requires a brief filed by an attourney. ($2000.00 retainer) obviously beyond reason and my abbility to pay. Lost all respect for Millcreek Township police and Erie county judicial system.
Mike
Well-Known Member
Farm exemptions can be really ugly. Use the vehicle for anything unrelated to the direct production of agricultural goods for sale and prepare to pay the piper. Whereas you might be able to get by driving to the dealer to get a replacement augur for a combine, stop at the grocery for a gallon of milk on the way home and you're out of bounds. The limitations there are so ugly, the farmers in this area just go ahead and register pick-ups as regular vehicles. It's a lot simpler and almost always a lot less expensive.
Vand, You have just found out what JUSTICE really is about in this country, MONEY!!!! BTDT
The average Joe just doesn't have the money or time to get justice in small cases that are not criminal in nature. You did all that you could up to the point of a high dollar attorney, and no guarentee there also, that you would win your case. Back scratchin' between lawyers' judges, and law enforcement is what keeps the county in money. I know because I payed enough in fines and court cost many years ago, they built a new courthouse and was going to name it after me. LOL
The best advice I now give is to be as legal as possible, in all ways of life. It cost a little more up front, but is a lot cheaper in the long run, especially if you get caught or in your case, by one that doesn't fully know the law. And you will never find a judge say that a law enforcement officer is wrong in a court of law, if best, you will have the case dissmissed. ENOUGH SAID!!
The average Joe just doesn't have the money or time to get justice in small cases that are not criminal in nature. You did all that you could up to the point of a high dollar attorney, and no guarentee there also, that you would win your case. Back scratchin' between lawyers' judges, and law enforcement is what keeps the county in money. I know because I payed enough in fines and court cost many years ago, they built a new courthouse and was going to name it after me. LOL
The best advice I now give is to be as legal as possible, in all ways of life. It cost a little more up front, but is a lot cheaper in the long run, especially if you get caught or in your case, by one that doesn't fully know the law. And you will never find a judge say that a law enforcement officer is wrong in a court of law, if best, you will have the case dissmissed. ENOUGH SAID!!
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